water, the wind in the bay having failed them, and the way, by reason of a
great turn or reach in the river, being about fifty miles about.

We spent this time in a thing which the two strangers, which brought the
prince the two lances, put into the head of the prisoners, viz., to make
bottles of the goats' skins to carry fresh water in, which it seems they
knew we should come to want; and the men did it so dexterously, having
dried skins fetched them by those two men, that before our vessel came up,
they had every man a pouch like a bladder, to carry fresh water in, hanging
over their shoulders by a thong made of other skins, about three inches
broad, like the sling of a fuzee.

Our prince, to assure us of the fidelity of the men in this march, had
ordered them to be tied two and two by the wrist, as we handcuff prisoners
in England; and made them so sensible of the reasonableness of it, that he
made them do it themselves, appointing four of them to bind the rest; but
we found them so honest, and particularly so obedient to him, that after we
were gotten a little further off of their own country, we set them at
liberty, though, when he came to us, he would have them tied again, and
they continued so a good while.

All the country on the bank of the river was a high land, no marshy swampy
ground in it; the verdure good, and abundance of cattle feeding upon it
wherever we went, or which way soever we looked; there was not much wood
indeed, at least not near us; but further up we saw oak, cedar, and
pine-trees, some of which were very large.

The river was a fair open channel, about as broad as the Thames below
Gravesend, and a strong tide of flood, which we found held us about sixty
miles; the channel deep, nor did we find any want of water for a great way.